Test matches test the character of a cricketer unlike any other format. So it isn't entirely surprising that to excel in the format you need so many things to do in your favour. When everything goes according to plan, that is when a player gets a chance to claim the Man of the Series award.
So the question of who has the most Man of the Series awards in Tests is a pertinent one as it helps us determine who are among the best to have played the game. Before the turn of the year, no Indian made the top five but one man is quickly rising through the ranks and on his way towards catching the leader who has 11 awards to his name.
Ravichandran Ashwin did not even feature in the top five before the start of the year but is already making his way up the list. And with the home season already, you wouldn't bet against him climber higher up this list before too long.
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Here are the players with the most Man of the Series awards in Tests:
5. Malcolm Marshall, Curtly Ambrose and Steve Waugh
In fifth place are two of the most fearsome fast bowlers to have played the game along with one of Australia’s finest captains whose grit and determination won the hearts of not just his compatriots but cricket fans around the world as well. All three have won six Man of the Series awards.
In fifth place on the list of players with most man of the series awards is the West Indies pace bowling duo of Malcolm Marshall and Curtly Ambrose and Australia's Steve Waugh.
Although all four have 6 such awards to their name, there can be little doubt about who deserves the fifth spot more. By claiming those six awards in just 81 matches, Malcolm Marshall certainly deserves fifth spot. The fact that the off-spinner got his six in just 36 matches, with a ridiculous average of one every six matches shows just how good he has been.
That though, should take nothing away from the exploits of the other three who all got theirs in a lot more matches but still have a massive impact on their respective countries.
4. Ravichandran Ashwin, Wasim Akram and Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Fourth place belongs to a trio of players, with Ravichandran Ashwin becoming the latest to enter that list, which features a fast bowler from Pakistan and one of West Indies’ finest batsmen. All of them have seven Man of the Series awards to their name.
The other two sharing fourth spot are two contrasting players. While was renowned for his ability to swing the ball both ways and was an instantly recognisable talent, the other was one who many believed did not have the technique to cut it at international level. And yet both managed to forge successful careers in all forms of the game.
Pakistan's Wasim Akram and West Indies’ Shivnarine Chanderpaul may not have had a similar progression in their respective careers but purely on the basis of what they did for their country, they are two of the finest players to have ever represented their countries.
Although both players finished with a total of 7 Man of the Series awards, the West Indian batsman who has nearly 12,000 Test runs to his name, took 164 matches over 60 series to get there, Akram took just 104 matches, even though they were over 43 series.
Both players are overshadowed by Ashwin who has seven such awards from just 14 series encompassing just 39 matches. While both Akram and Chanderpaul needed more than 100 matches, Ashwin got there in less than 40 and there is no question about who deserves fourth spot more.
3. Imran Khan, Sir Richard Hadlee and Shane Warne
Two of the greatest all-rounders to have ever played Tests and the greatest wrist spinner of all-time are joint-third on the list of most Man of the Series awards in Tests with 8. Pakistan’s Imran Khan, New Zealand’s Richard Hadlee and Australia’s Shane Warne.
Arguably the greatest cricketer to come out of New Zealand, Hadlee is undoubtedly a legend of the game. What makes his achievement spectacular, compared to the other two on this list is the quality of players around him. In the battle for third place, Imran and Hadlee are close in terms of the number of matches played.
Although Imran Khan played more matches than the Kiwi all-rounder, he played fewer series and hence takes the nod at No.3 as his average of series per award is better than Hadlee. While both all-rounders played less than 100 Tests, Warne takes his place on this list have played 145 matches over 46 series.
2. Jacques Kallis
Such is the need for balance in the modern game that teams always find it difficult to put out the players they want, particularly because of the varying conditions and the opposition that they face. All-rounders in particular are a rare commodity who are always cherished by their sides.
So rare in fact, that very few have managed to stand the test of time in the longest format of the game. One of the few that did was South Africa’s Jacques Kallis who enjoyed a long and successful Test career that spanned nearly two decades and helped establish him as perhaps the greatest all-rounder to have played the game.
What makes Kallis’ achievements so much more outstanding was his importance to the side with both bat and ball in hand. With over 13,000 Test runs and nearly 300 wickets, he was one of the few players who were able to be an asset with the bat, ball and in the field for an extended period of time. In that time, he finished with 9 Man of the Series awards which is just two shy of the all-time Test record.
1. Muttiah Muralitharan
No bowler has taken more wickets in Tests and no one has had greater scrutiny on him during that period that Muttiah Muralitharan. So it should come as no surprise that Sri Lanka’s one-man wrecking crew holds the record for most Man of the Series awards in Tests.
Both Jacques Kallis and Muralitharan have played the same amount of series (61) but the latter has played 33 fewer Tests but still has 11 Man of the Series awards. Among the many incredible records that he has to his name, this is just another for one of the greatest spinners to have ever played the game.
Although no player has managed to get into double digits as far as Man of the Series awards, the Sri Lankan’s record is under threat from another off-spinner. Despite playing less than one-third of the matches that Muralitharan has, Ravichandran Ashwin already has seven awards and with a few more years to go before even the thought of retirement pops in, the Indian stands a decent chance of taking over from the Sri Lankan.
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